Why Meghan Markle will not be with Prince Harry and the royal family this Christmas

Prince Harry's new girlfriend, actress Meghan Markle, is not expected to be invited to the royal family's private Christmas celebration this year, but she shouldn't take it personally.

Contrary to a recent report claiming that the queen denied a request from Harry to have Meghan join the family at their Sandringham House country estate, royal expert Katie Nicholl has a different account.

"My sources tell me that is not the case," Nicholl tells ET from London. "[Harry] knows the rules of the royal family and he knows that until they get engaged, Meghan will not have a place around that Christmas dinner table."

Nicholl noted that the same was true for Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.

44PHOTOS

Queen Elizabeth's style has changed

See Gallery

Queen Elizabeth's style has changed

June 1927: A positively precious portrait of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York.

Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

January 1932: Princess Elizabeth, wearing a sharp little coat, walks in to visit the Royal Tournament at Olympia.

May 1944: Princess Elizabeth wearing a summer dress and sunhat in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Photo: Lisa Sheridan, Getty Images

February 1952: An official picture of when Princess Elizabeth acceded to the throne, becoming Queen, and wearing some impressive jewels.

Photo: APIC/Getty Images

December 1953: Talk about a long train! Her Majesty at her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

March 1954: Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Government House, Melbourne, during her tour of Australia.

Photo: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

April 1954: The Queen in a floral-patterned dress for a tour of Aden, Yemen.

Photo: Universal Picture Group/Getty Images

November 1954: Queen Elizabeth dancing with Air Marshal Sir John Baldwin, at a ball held at the Hyde Park Hotel, London, 26th November 1954. The ball celebrated the centenary of the Battle of Balaclava.

Photo: Dennis Oulds via Getty Images

June 1956: Queen Elizabeth II in Sweden, wearing a lot of pearls and an interesting hat.

Photo: M. McKeown, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

January 1960: The Queen wearing a classic jacket as she stands with Prince Charles and Prince Edward at Windsor castle.

Photo: Anwar Hussein, Getty Images

July 1965: Queen Elizabeth II wore a vibrant coat and hat at Ventnor during a royal visit to the Isle of Wight.

Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images

January 1969: The Queen, in a fuchsia dress, walks beside U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images

January 1973: Now that is glamour: from the intricate pattern, to the fur and crown, there's not much else we can ask for!

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

February 1977: Queen Elizabeth looks like she's ready for spring in this plaid dress and bright hat.

Photo: Serge Lemoine, Getty Images

July 1982: Navy and white is always in style, and we appreciate the small pattern on her dress mixed with the bold lines of the hat.

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

October 1986: Queen Elizabeth II stands out in robin's egg blue during a visit to Hong Kong.

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

May 1993: The Queen and Prince Philip attend a formal banquet, the queen in a bright pink gown and a very expensive -- and we expect heavy -- accessory on her head.

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

March 1995: The Queen visited South Africa and wore a bright yellow hat with this patterned dress.

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

November 1998: London must be chilly in November! The Queen wore this large fur coat as she left the House of the Lords.

Photo: Johnny Eggitt, Getty Images

November 2002: The Queen and Prince Philip attend the premiere of the "Die Another Day" James Bond flick, dressed to impress!

Photo: Nicolas Asfouria, AFP/Getty Images

November 2003: U.S. President George W. Bush is formally welcomed to the U.K. by the Queen, dressed here in a lilac coat and hat.

Photo: Kristy Wigglesworth, AFP/Getty Images

June 2004: The Queen's hats keep getting better and better, and we love the top hat vibe this one has for Trooping the Colour.

Photo: James Quinton, WireImage/Getty Images

June 2005: A lady in pink always shows up men in black (though they look quite dapper as well!).

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

October 2005: Her Majesty looked stunning in this white coat to visit the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House and Museum.

Photo: Anwar Hussein, WireImage/Getty Images

May 2006: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Bath service, dressed in traditional garments, and looking lovely.

Photo: Anwar Hussein, Getty Images

June 2006: The Queen looks chic in this dress as she and Prince Philip attend a performance at the Royal Opera House.

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

May 2007: The Queen dials up the fun of this look by wearing vibrant, neon pink in her accents, paired with a lavender wool coat.

Photo: Chris Jackson, Getty Images

October 2007: Her Majesty attends the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, dressed in silk.

Photo: John Stillwell, AFP/Getty Images

June 2008: The Queen hosts a garden party at Buckingham Palace, and we're loving the sheer umbrella.

Photo: Tim Graham, Getty Images

October 2008: The Queen wore this intricately patterned dress during a two-day tour of Slovenia.

Photo: Chris Jackson, Getty Images

December 2008: The Queen attends the Christmas Day church service, looking lovely in a holiday-themed outfit.

Photo: Chris Jackson, Getty Images

June 2009: Her Majesty knows how to accessorize, and we can't get enough of her great looks!

Photo: Indigo/Getty Images

November 2010: The Queen wore this floral dress during a visit to Abu Dhabi.

Photo: Julian Parker, UK Press/Getty Images

April 2011: Prepping for the royal wedding in style, the Queen attends a dinner in this metallic and periwinkle gown.

Photo: Danny Martindale, WireImage/Getty Images

May 2011: Dashing leaders! Looking stunning in an embellished dress, Queen Elizabeth prepares to attend a State Banquet with U.S. President Barack Obama.

June 2012: The Queen shares a laugh at the Queen's Cup Polo Day in 2012, dressed in the color of success.

Photo: Nick Harvey, WireImage/Getty Images

March 2013: The dark trim on this coat adds another level of sophistication, as if the Queen needed any help in that department!

Photo: Mark Cuthbert, UK Press/Getty Images

April 2014: This portrait of Queen Elizabeth by photographer David Bailey was released on April 20, 2014 to mark her majesty's 88th birthday on Monday April 21.

Photo: Getty Images

April 2015: The Queen attends a reception at Canada House on April 19, 2015 in London.

Photo: Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images

Up Next

See Gallery

Discover More Like This

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

of

SEE ALL

BACK TO SLIDE

"If you think about all those years that Prince William was courting Kate Middleton, she had to wait 10 years until she was invited to Sandringham," Nicholl says. "Harry and Meghan have only been dating for a few months. So, no, the queen has not stolen Christmas, and, no, Meghan Markle won't be at the Christmas table at Sandringham this year."

"The royal family really wind down for Christmas," Nicholl explains. "The senior members traditionally spend the festive period at Sandringham. Sandringham is the queen's residence in Northfolk, and it has always been the place where the family gathered. So the queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, Camilla, the whole family gather en masse. They enjoy a traditional Christmas turkey on Christmas Eve. They follow the German tradition and open presents on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Day itself, the family goes to church in the morning and then they go back to Sandringham House for lunch and to watch, of course, the queen's speech in the afternoon. And then really the family are left to enjoy themselves -- to play games, and on Boxing Day, there is that famous shoot that most of the senior members of the family take part in."

51PHOTOS

A look back at British Royals visiting the USA and Princess Diana

See Gallery

A look back at British Royals visiting the USA and Princess Diana

LONDON - JULY 29: Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles ride in a carriage after their wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral July 29, 1981 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON - JULY 29: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding on July 29, 1981 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 01: An informal study of Prince CHARLES, the Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana SPENCER, whose wedding will take place at Saint-Paul's Cathedral, London on 29th July 1981. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 22: Prince And Princess Of Wales Leaving The Lindo Wing Of St Mary's Hospital With Their First Baby Son, Prince William. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 18: Princess Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales play with their baby son Prince William in the gardens of Government House on April 18, 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 29: Prince Charles And Princess Diana Being Driven In An Open Carriage From St Paul's Cathedral To Buckingham Palace. They Are Escorted By The Household Cavalry. Policemen Line The Streets To Keep The Huge Crowds Under Control. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 29: The Wedding Of The Prince And Princess Of Wales At St Paul's Cathedral In London (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

29th July 1981: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997) in the throne room of Buckingham Palace, after their wedding at St Paul's Cathedral, London. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 29: Prince Charles Whispering To Princess Diana On Their Wedding Day As They Appear On The Balcony Of Buckingham Palace (Photo by Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)

29th July 1981: Charles, Prince of Wales, with his wife, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997), at the altar of St Paul's Cathedral during their marriage ceremony. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

29th July 1981: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997), waving to crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London after their wedding. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 29: (l To R) Prince Andrew, The Queen Mother, Earl Spencer, Queen Elizabeth Ll, Princess Diana And Prince Charles On The Balcony Of Buckingham Palace On The Wedding Day Of The Prince And Princess Of Wales. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

LONDON - JULY 29: Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles emerge from St. Paul's Cathedral after their wedding July 29, 1981 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 01: Prince William is seen with his parents HRH Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana (wearing Vanvelden puritan collar) during their 1983 official visit to New Zealand, in April 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 11: (L To R) Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, Vice-President George Bush and his wife Barbara Attending A Dinner At The British Embassy In Washington, USA. Diana's Dress Is By Fashion Designer Murray Arbeid. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Princess Diana (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

Princess Diana during Dawson International Cocktail Party - February 1, 1989 at The Equitable Center in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

The Princess of Wales, wearing a Catherine Walker suit, surrounded by security while visiting the Henry Street settlement in New York City, February 1989. (Photo byTerry Fincher/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 02: Princess Diana stands for the National Anthem at Brooklyn Academy of Music, where the Welsh National Opera is putting on Verdi's 'Falstaff.' , (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 02: Britain's Princess Diana is all smiles as she arrives in New York City, for a three day visit. (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 02: Diana, Princess of Wales wears a dress designed by Victor Edelstein to the Brooklyn Academy of Music to see the Welsh National Opera Gala production of 'Falstaff' (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE - 1985: A 1985 photo of Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, in a David Emanuel dress and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, dancing in Melbourne. British designer Emanuel designed the princess's wedding dress. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

1980: Children's nanny, Lady Diana Spencer with two of her charges, the year before she married Prince Charles and became the Princess of Wales. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales pose for photographs in the grounds of Buckingham Palace following the announcement of their engagement, 24th February 1981. (Photo by John Downing/Getty Images)

LONDON - FEBRUARY 24: Princess Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales pose outside Buckingham Palace as they announce their engagement on February 24, 1981 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 24: Lady Diana Spencer (later To Become Princess Diana) With Prince Charles Arm In Arm At Buckingham Palace On The Day Of The Announcement Of Their Engagement. She Is Wearing A Royal Blue Suit By Designer Cojana Reported To Have Been Bought From Harrods (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

GREAT BRITAIN - FEBRUARY 24: Lady Diana Spencer (later to become Princess of Wales) reveals her sapphire and diamond engagement ring while she and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales pose for photographs in the grounds of Buckingham Palace following the announcement of their engagement (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 06: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales with his fiance Lady Diana Spencer during a photocall before their wedding while staying at Craigowan Lodge on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

10th March 1981: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997), arriving at a banquet held in Goldsmith's Hall, London. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

BALMORAL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 19: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales with his arm around Princess Diana, Princess of Wales as they sit on a style during their honeymoon at Balmoral in Scotland.The Princess is wearing a suit designed by Bill Pashley. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997) pose together during their honeymoon in Balmoral, Scotland, 19th August 1981. (Photo by Serge Lemoine/Getty Images)

GIBRALTAR - AUGUST 01: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales with Diana, Princess of Wales on the Royal Yacht Britannia at the start of their honeymoon cruise, Her outfit is designed by Donald Campbell (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997) leave Eastleigh airport in Hampshire at the start of their honeymoon, August 1981. She is wearing a Donald Campbell dress. (Photo by Kypros/Getty Images)

BRAEMAR, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: The Queen, Princess Diana And Prince Charles Watching The Traditional Highland Games At Braemar In Scotland. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

LONDON - JUNE 22: New born Prince William with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles leave St. Mary's hospital on June 22, 1982 in Paddington, London, England,. He was born in the Lindo Wing of the hospital on June 21. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)

Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles arrive for a state reception in Hobart, Tasmania, 30th March 1983. The princess is wearing the Spencer family tiara and a dress by Bruce Oldfield. (Photo by Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Prince Charles And Princess Diana With Prince William Visiting Australia On Her First Overseas Tour. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 01: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales with their baby son, Prince William, at home in Kensington Palace (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 23: The Prince and Princess of Wales with their son, Prince William during a visit to Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Up Next

See Gallery

Discover More Like This

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

of

SEE ALL

BACK TO SLIDE

Harry and Markle haven't been in the same room together since Harry launched his 14-day tour of the Caribbean, but Markle was snapped departing from Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. While it's unclear where Markle might meet up with Harry next, Nicholl is confident that they will squeeze in some time together before Christmas.

"My sources do tell me that they have plans to meet up as soon as Prince Harry has finished his tour, which will be this weekend," Nicholl says. "It's possible they might meet in London. There's a chance they might meet in L.A. That said, Prince Harry does have an engagement in London next week, so if I was putting money on it, I'd say if they're going to be meeting up, it's more likely to be over here than in the States."

Gearing up for the tail end of his Caribbean tour on Thursday, Prince Harry was joined by Rihanna in Barbados to take an HIV test in honor of World AIDS Day. Watch the video above to learn more about Harry's tropical trip.